Kent Q&A: "The Honda suits my riding style more"

Leopard Racing’s Danny Kent chats to motogp.com ahead of the first round of the 2015 Moto3™ World Championship in Qatar.

The British rider will be writing a series of blogs for motogp.com throughout the season, giving us an exclusive insight into what it is like to be a racer in the extremely competitive Moto3™ class.

How has your off-season gone?
“The off season has gone very well! We ended last year very strongly, and then had two great test towards the end of the year on the Honda, so going into the winter I had so much motivation. This also makes training easier, the fact you have a good feeling with the bike and that you are just generally more confident. I have lost weight since last year, my fitness has got a lot better, basically I’ve just been working a lot harder at everything to come into the 2015 season as strong as possible.”

You have just finished the final preseason test in Jerez, what will you take from the three days?
“Unfortunately all 3 days we had very bad weather conditions, over the whole test I think we have done a maximum 15 laps, so we haven't been able to learn much at all. Fortunately for us we worked really hard during the other tests, and managed to try a lot of different things, so we can head to Qatar relatively happy and confident. Plus we have been consistently in the top 5, no matter whether we were using old or new tyres. To be honest this has definitely been one of my strongest preseasons, and I am really looking to going to the first round.”

You have joined the Leopard Racing Team for 2015, what was behind this decision?
“I believe a lot in them, I know they work very hard. They have been unlucky with sponsors in the past which meant they didn't have the budget to compete at the front. This year its different, and they are a great team, plus they won the Moto2™ Championship with Stefan Bradl in 2011, so they know what it takes to challenge for a title. We sat together last year where they explained their plans for this project, which I am really happy to be a part of, and I am looking forward to this year.”

You have shown good pace straight away on the new bike, how does the Honda differ from the Husqvarna of last season?
“As soon as I sat on the Honda, on my very first lap, we already went faster than my best ever lap on the Husqvarna around Valencia. Some riders click with a bike, some don’t, we’ve been very lucky as Honda have put together a very good Moto3™ bike and for me which I find it a lot easier to ride, and it suits my style more.”

How are you getting on with your teammates Efren Vazquez and Hiroki Ono?
“I know Efren from when we were teammates back in 2011, and its great to have someone on the team who was challenging for the title last year and who is consistently fast, as it also pushes you. Hiroki is is a great guy and I think he has a lot of potential for this year.”

With Qatar just one week away - what are your expectations for the season?
“With less than a week till the first race, and with all the hard work I have put in during training and testing, we can go to Qatar and expect be fighting for the race win. Although testing is testing, you can have an idea of who will be where, but you don't really know who will be truly competitive until the lights go out. My expectations for the season are to be consistently fighting for race wins.”

The Moto3™ World Championship kicks off in Qatar at the Losail International Circuit on 29 March.